New Zealand. The beauty of the Milford Sound fjord. Fiordland national park in new zealand fiordland national park

National Park"Fiordland" ( New Zealand) - exact location, interesting places, inhabitants, routes.

• Last minute tours to New Zealand

When it comes to unusual travels and natural beauties, the mind spontaneously comes to thoughts of fjords - amazing beautiful places, Where sea ​​bays crash into inaccessible rocks, revealing fantastic panoramas to the observer and plunging him into a state of serenity, harmony and peace. Fiordland National Park, located in the southwest of New Zealand, belongs to such places.

About the park

Fjordland National Park was created by the New Zealand government in 1952 to preserve the island ecosystem, and in 1986 it became one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. And this is no coincidence, because these places have retained their pristine beauty and pristine state.

The greatest interest in Fiordland is its natural attractions: fjords, mountain peaks, waterfalls and numerous rivers.

There are quite a large number of fjords in the park, the largest and most picturesque of which are Dusky, Milford, Brexey, Doubtful, George and others. Lady Bowen, Stirling and Sutherland waterfalls deserve special attention. Average height mountain peaks, surrounding "Fiordland", approximately 1220 m above sea level, and in the very center several peaks rise into the sky: Lion, Elephant and the highest - Miter.

Flora and fauna

Oddly enough, human activity has hardly affected the flora of Fiordland. Almost the entire landmass here is covered with moist evergreen beech forests, laurels, legworts, myrtle trees, tree ferns and other plants. In total, the park has over 7,000 different species of flora, and 35 of them are very rare. The main feature of the “Country of Fjords” is that this is the only place on the planet where glaciers are almost close to the tropical forests.

As for the animal world, first of all we should mention birds, the exact number of species of which is still unknown here. Takahe, ueka rail, kakapo, jumping parrot, shooter, kea, mohua, southern kiwi - just a small fraction of the whole variety of birds. And albatrosses, petrels and even penguins live peacefully in the neighborhood.

“The Country of Fjords” is a place where incongruous things come together: tropical thickets give way to snowy peaks and huge glaciers, and colorful parrots live next to penguins.

Killer whales, sperm whales, humpback whales, fur seals and lions, leopard seals and elephants swim in the coastal waters. Also in the bays you can see Australian bottlenose dolphins and at least three species of dolphins. The most striking representatives of the fauna on land are couscous and wapiti deer.

Note that visitors can not only admire nature, but also relax in the park: fly on a light aircraft, swim in a kayak or boat, dive underwater, ride a bike or jeep, go fishing or visit an underwater observatory.

Practical information

To get to “Fiordland” you first need to get to the town of Te Anau, and then to the Milford Sound fjord by car (you can rent it in Te Anau) or to Lake Manapouri by bus. Another option is to fly to the city of Dandida, and from there to the town of Glenorchy, which is next to the park. Visiting the park is free.

Fiordland National Park is located in New Zealand. This is one of the largest national parks on our planet, its area exceeds 12,500 square kilometers. The park was created back in 1952 to preserve incredible beauty southwestern part of the South Island of New Zealand. And in 1990 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fiordland National Park - amazing place With picturesque landscapes and unique flora and fauna. The flow of tourists here is so large that the government has to limit their number. People get jobs here walking tours for numerous guests of the country and local residents. It is noteworthy that in the territory of this huge park you will not meet animals that could pose a danger to your life.

The western part of the park is decorated with fjords - long bays with steep rocky shores. Located in the east beautiful lakes, among which the famous Lake Manapouri is the deepest lake in New Zealand.

All these beauties are diluted by mountain ranges, the height of which here reaches 2746 meters. The western slopes of these mountains are among the wettest places on our planet. It rains here 200 days a year, but the precipitation falls very evenly.

The climate in the Fiordland National Park is sharply oceanic, the temperature difference is small, air temperatures range from 5 to 23 degrees. The coldest month of the year is July, and the hottest month is January.

Such weather contribute to the healthy existence of wet tropical forests on the slopes of the mountains, these forests are considered the most ancient on our planet, and the water level in the fjords remains unchanged, they reach about 40 meters in depth, the water in them is fresh.

Flora and fauna of the national park

The Fiordland National Park is home to rare species of plants and animals. Here you can find a rare species of wood - silvery nothofagus, whose age can reach 800 years. Numerous swamps in the park have unique vegetation.

The population of forest birds in the national park is the highest in New Zealand. Here there are such rare species like the kakapo and takahe parrots. In addition, the park is home to such bird species as the southern kiwi, yellow-fronted jumping parrot, crooked plover, shooter, blue duck, rock wren, and weca rail. A huge number of seabirds have chosen the rocky shores of the fjords. In addition, New Zealand fur seals and thick-billed penguins live in the fjords.

The reservoirs of Fiordland National Park are famous for their diversity of plants and animals; subtropical sponges, mollusks and corals live here. It is worth noting that the largest colony of black corals on the planet found refuge here.

Among other things, approximately three thousand people live in the national park. different types insects, a tenth of which are found only here. In Fiordland you can also find representatives of flora and fauna brought from other continents, for example, rats or elk deer.

Glaciers of Fiordland

The bays in the west of the national park were cut by glaciers a long time ago. Once upon a time, a huge glacier covered the entire territory of what is now Fiordland, but now in this unique corner of the planet you can see what is left of it. However, the view is simply stunning.

Lakes of the national park

Between the mountain peaks in the park there are a huge number of lakes. Lake Wakatipu stands out against their background, the length of which is 80 kilometers! People call it “the heart of the South Island”; there are many legends about this lake.

Fiordland waterfalls

After heavy rains, in the territory of the largest national park in New Zealand, you can see an incredibly beautiful sight - streams of water begin to flow down steep slopes, forming many waterfalls. Small streams never reach the surface of the earth, falling down, and on the way they are blown by the wind.

However, there are two permanent waterfalls in the park - Bowen Falls, which reaches a height of 162 meters and Stirling Falls, which reaches a height of 155 meters. They both add to the already spectacular scenery of Fiordland National Park.

Having flown from Australia to New Zealand in the morning and checked into the hotel, we devoted our entire first day to exploring the city of Queenstown - New Zealand - The Land of Long White Clouds. Queenstown. Queenstown is located in the middle of the lower third of the South Island of New Zealand and from here it is very convenient to make excursion trips to different parts of this region.

And there is something to see here. Shores south side The islands are very beautiful - they are indented by numerous bays, bays and fjords. Eat interesting mountains and well-equipped trails with parking areas and shelters where you can wander at your leisure. But all this takes time. And we are running out of time - only 12 days for both New Zealand islands.

Road to the fjord Early the next morning Richard picked us up and we drove out to the Milford Sound fjord, one of the main attractions of the southern part of New Zealand.

The road from Queenstown to Milford is not close and is 286 kilometers. And even with good quality roads, it takes more than four hours one way. It is interesting that in a straight line (from A to B) there will be only fifty kilometers, but in these places all roads depend on the location of the mountain valleys. So our road twists and turns in different directions, winding up extra kilometers.

Having left Queenstown, the road climbed a small pass and the expanses of the South Island opened up before us.

Then it goes south, skirting a long appendix extending from Lake Wakatipu and finally breaks out into the expanses of a large plain, on which we saw the main wealth of New Zealand - millions of flocks of sheep.

Richard comments on the places we pass and says that during the trip we will stop at several points of interest from a tourist point of view. The first will be the small town of Te Anau, then the small lake Mirror Lake, then the interesting geological formation Chazm and a one-way tunnel.

Having stopped in the town of Te Anau, we cheered ourselves up from an early rise with a cup of coffee and walked along the embankment of the lake of the same name. Despite the early morning, there were many people in the town - who, like us, made a stop on the way to the Milford Sound fjord, and many came here to do walking routes through the surrounding mountains. In just a few days, walking along mountain paths, you can also reach the coast and fjords. Te Anau - the last locality before the deserted road to Milford Sound.

Near the cafe there is a monument to some strange blue chicken bird with a red beak and paws. It turned out that this is a statue of the Takahe bird, which was previously considered extinct. But, fortunately, some lucky people found her alive and unharmed in the vicinity of this town.

At the exit from the town there are warnings about the need to fill up with gasoline both ways. There are only mountains ahead. We are entering the territory National Park Fiordland.

Our next stop is in a place with the loud name Mirror Lake. In fact, it is some kind of lake in a swamp. There are bridges along the lake. There was no wind and there was a mirror below us. But only from the water. It reflected the mountains standing nearby and sunken driftwood was clearly visible in the depths.

Walking along the shore, it seemed that I would now see Alyonushka, bending over a stone over the water. But - alas. But, seeing tourists, some fish swam too close to the surface of the water in the hope of a crust of bread, and all the fairy-tale mirror image was broken...

Then there was a stop at the interesting formation The Chasm. It’s even difficult to define it - probably an underground waterfall. Waterfalls are generally difficult to photograph, but this one is especially so. You can't approach him. The peacefully flowing Cleddau River suddenly breaks under the bridge into a narrow gap and disappears with a roar into the darkness. As a result of its millennia of activity, The Chasm has carved a complex canyon inside the rocks.

After walking a hundred meters along bridges laid directly above it at a height of many meters, we come to a place where we can see how water is already escaping from a rocky crevice. The famous New Zealand researcher David Henry Thoreau said, describing this phenomenon: “no stone craftsman using a diamond tool can do what water, air and time have done with their gentle touches.”

Let's move on. The road begins to climb up the mountain and goes past the sheer walls of the canyon. On the right the river roars, on the left, waterfalls fall from steep walls and from crevices. Soon we arrive at a large mountain crater. All around there are steep walls with snow-capped mountain peaks. The Homer tunnel is ahead. It has one lane and a line of cars stands in front of it, waiting for the signal to move.

The tunnel is about 2 kilometers long and is cut into the rock mass. The work in it has not yet been completed and it is uncomfortable to drive in it - water is flowing from the ceiling, there is no lighting inside, the asphalt has potholes. For most of it the road goes downhill. The tunnel is closed for the night and repairs are slowly being made.

Having passed through the tunnel, we found ourselves in a different climate - there was snow in places, despite the fact that it was hot. The road down went faster and after half an hour we arrived at the small harbor of the Milford Sound fiord (44°40’S, 167°55’E). The departure of our three-deck beauty “Milford Sovereign” is in half an hour.

Fjord cruise Milford Sound is one of 14 fiords located within the Fiordland National Park and Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area. Milford Sound - business card New Zealand. In the Aboriginal Maori language it is called Piopiotahi. This is a narrow bay of the Tasmanian Sea about 15 kilometers long with steep and steep banks up to 1200 meters high. Like most fjords, it is shallow at the neck and deeper at the opposite end.

The fjord was formed during the last ice age, when a glacier, moving towards the sea, squeezed out deep depression in rocky ground. About 10,000 years ago, the glacier retreated and the Tasman Sea flooded the resulting basin. Among the mountain peaks surrounding Milford Sound, the most significant are Miter Peak (1692 m), The Elephant Mountain (1517 m) and Lion Mountain (1302 m).

Rain forests grow on the mountain slopes, clinging to rocks, and you can often see fur seals, penguins and dolphins frolicking in the water. The steepness of the slopes does not at all prevent all kinds of plants, intertwining with each other, to densely cover the rocks.

If we go ashore, we will find ourselves in the Mesozoic rainforest. Ferns and horsetails are as tall as a man, huge trees bear unprecedented fruits, and large lizards run under your feet. Oh, if only there were dinosaurs here! And all these miracles are due to the amazing humid climate. On the one hand, it is provided by the snow covering the mountains, and on the other, by the warm waters of the ocean, which have nourished the forest for millions of years.

These places are among the wettest on Earth. According to official data, there are 182 rainy days a year and during this time 6,813 mm of precipitation falls, which turns into streams of water that fall down in the form of waterfalls.

Only here, and even in Patagonia, where we were last year, glaciers descend almost to sea level. Here are virgin places and there are no traces of human activity. The banks are very steep and there is absolutely no place on them not only for settlements, but also for tents. And most importantly, there are no pastures for livestock. That is why the virgin primordial nature of these places has been preserved here. Episodes of the famous film “The Lord of the Rings” were also filmed in Milford Sound.

Finally, our ship slowly moves away from the pier and enters the waters of the fiord. Everyone immediately takes out their photographic equipment to capture all the beauty that lies ahead. And, of course, yourself, your loved ones - “I was here”! Immediately after leaving the harbor, a powerful waterfall, Bowen Falls, 160 meters high, appeared on the right.

The watery expanses of the fjord and sharp mountain peaks stretched ahead. Tourist boats drove on the same left side of the road as cars on the roads.

Not far from us there were several other ships travel companies, but they were much smaller than us, and they were mercilessly tossed about by the waves. I don't envy their passengers. But we didn’t feel any pitching at all. In about an hour, the ship reached the exit to the Tasmanian Sea and turned around in the opposite direction.

The neck of the fiord is not very wide. This is probably why Captain Cook, sailing through these places twice, did not notice the entrance to this fiord. We were very lucky with the weather. There is not a cloud in the sky, but there is a very strong wind.

On the way back we go on the right side of the fiord. There are dozens of waterfalls here - from thin streams to wide streams. On one of the flat rocks protruding from the water is a seal rookery. Calmly, not paying attention to anyone, they lie in the sun and slowly turn over, exposing their other sides to the sun.

A large stream of the Stirling Falls waterfall appeared ahead, shining in the sun, and the captain steered the ship straight towards this watery radiance. Everyone on the bow of the ship was in complete delight! Cascades of stunning beauty fall from a height of 155 meters directly onto the deck, splashing those who are gaping. Beauty and stunning!

Then the ship moves away from the waterfall, freeing up this adrenaline-filled place for the next ship. It is impossible to describe the magnificence of this fjord in words. He is unrealistically beautiful. You can give 10 points. Somewhere, once upon a time, I read a test about female beauty: 9 points - you can hardly find a couple of minor flaws. 10 points – sheer perfection. You can endlessly, without stopping and without getting tired, look at the object of your adoration. Just like this fjord and these waterfalls.

And old Kipling was right, who visited these places at the end of the 19th century and called this fjord “the eighth wonder of the world.” Up to 1 million tourists visit it annually. And this despite the fact that the entire population of the country is just over 4 million! What is it like!?

The drive back to Queenstown was uneventful, apart from getting caught in a traffic jam of thousands of sheep being herded along our only road. All management of this huge herd was carried out by one shepherd and three dogs - the shepherd walked calmly along the side of the road, and the dogs drove the herd along the road, collecting and driving the lost along the way.

The last evening in Queenstown was spent on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, hand-feeding ducks and celebrating the birth of our Pavel’s grandson. The next day we leave hospitable Queenstown and go to conquer the icy peaks of the Southern Alps - New Zealand. The long road to the glaciers of the Southern Alps.

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Covering an area of ​​1260 hectares, Fiordland Park is New Zealand's largest national park and is located in the southwest South Island. This vast area is home to some of the country's most scenic landmarks, including Milford Sound, Sutherland Falls, Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau.

In 1990, Fiordland was included in the UN World Heritage List and was named Te Wahipounamu - "the place of jade", due to the largest jade deposits in the area.

Fiordland is one of the wettest regions of New Zealand - it rains here 200 days a year. Huge masses of water, discolored after flowing through forests and many layers of rotten foliage, flow into the fiords. This water then acquires a yellow-brown color and forms a layer above the seawater that fills the fjords, and thus only greenish light penetrates the surface.

Hilly terrain, isolated and humid climate created a natural habitat where many species of plants and animals, thousands of years old, existed peacefully here. The takahe bird, thought to be long extinct, was rediscovered in Fiordland in 1948. Fiordland was also the last refuge of the flightless parrot, the kakapo, a species for which a separate program was created to restore its population. ()

Takahe

They were hunted by local Maori tribes for their plumage. By the time Europeans arrived on the islands, it was believed that the birds had been completely destroyed.
Only in 1948, an amateur naturalist from a small New Zealand town, Jeffrey Orbell, after almost a year of systematic searches in the area of ​​Lake Te Anau, discovered a small colony of birds.
The birds were photographed, banded and released. The New Zealand government decided to declare this area a nature reserve.

Fifty takahes lived peacefully. But since there was a threat in the form of voracious weasels and possums, a nursery was created as a safety net.
The nursery was built on Mount Bruce, one hundred and thirty kilometers from Wellington. It was decided to get takahe eggs and place them under the bantam chickens.
The most diligent hens were specially selected. They trained them like paratroopers. We chose one, but misfortune happened: a box with a chicken and training eggs fell out of the car. However, I was lucky - not a single egg broke. When they opened the box, they saw a ruffled hen covering the eggs with her body.
The operation began successfully, two chicks hatched in due time, from which the revival of Tahake began.
Rare takahe birds can be seen in their natural habitat, Lake Te Anau.

Kakapo

This is a representative of the genus of owl parrots or, as they are also called, kakapo. The number of these birds barely reaches 125 individuals, which makes them the rarest birds on the planet.

The only parrot that leads a twilight and nocturnal lifestyle. During the day, it hides in burrows or rock crevices. At night, it comes out along well-trodden paths to feed on berries or plant juice (chews leaves and shoots without tearing them off). ()

Fiordland National Park is an amazingly beautiful park with wildlife in New Zealand. It forms a large area of ​​untouched forest combined with ponds and mountain ranges. Another very popular place among tourists. (12 photos)

Amazing beautiful view Fiordland National Park

Fiordland Park is one of a kind. Just looking at his photographs, it immediately becomes clear how handsome he is. Mountain ranges rugged by the fjords of the Tasman Sea, all kinds of waterfalls with crystal clear water create an indescribable atmosphere of beauty.

First of all, the park has favorable conditions. There is an oceanic climate here, with warm weather, but it is quite humid, without droughts or sudden temperature changes.

In 1952, the New Zealand government decided to protect such beauty from possible human encroachments. And a national park was created. Today Fiordland Park is listed world heritage UNESCO.

The park's territory is quite large, its area is 12,500 km². Another attraction of the park is its mountains. Their nature is such that they are protected from the destructive effects of the surrounding nature. Thus, we can observe the mountains that appeared here 2 million years ago. The height of the mountains in the park reaches 2746 meters above sea level. This is certainly not, but it is also quite high.

The nature of the park is unique in its combination. Only here you can see how, very close to each other, there are vines of the tropical forest and mountain glaciers, on which penguins proudly flaunt. Tropical vines are also combined with huge beech trees. By the way, Beech is over 800 years old.

Fiordland National Park is also rich in various lakes, which are characterized by crystal clear water. The steep waterfalls that descend from the plateau are also fascinating. Sometimes you can find rainfalls, but they are so small that often the wind blows them away before they can touch the ground.

Deserves special attention animal world parka. Various species of animals are represented here in all their diversity. Bird species are especially valuable and unique. The park is home to a large variety of birds. And, of course, the colorfulness that is inherent in the park. Here a parrot and a penguin can fight for a place in the sun.

New Zealand earns good money from visiting tourists. There is an entrance fee to the park. Also, everything is done here for the convenience of vacationers. For example, for a fee you can admire the mountain plateau from a helicopter. There are also various types of escalators and boat rides. Needless to say, tourists are loved here and are always welcome to visit.